To protect hair from damage such as peeling of the cuticle and splitting and tearing of the hair, and also to favorably keep the natural gloss of the hair itself, it is generally known that the moisture contained in hair (hereinafter referred to as "hair moisture content") should be maintained at an optimum value, i.e., approximately 10% in relation to the weight of hair.
To perform hairdressing without losing the hair moisture content, drying or dressing of the hair is carried out by means of various hot air dryers (represented by a hand dryer) after shampoo or water spraying to moisten the hair. Though it is effective to apply moisture to the cuticle of the hair to make hairdressing easier, most of the moisture is collected on the cuticle of the hair by surface tension of the water particles generated on the cuticle of the hair. As a result, the moisture applied to the hair steams away during drying of the hair. Namely, since the volume of the moisture to permeate into the hair only by moistening the hair is very small, it is hard to protect the hair and to maintain the gloss of the hair because the hair moisture content to be lost by drying cannot be sufficiently supplemented.
To solve this problem, various dryers which are provided with steam atomizers for atomizing water steam particles (hereinafter referred to as "steam") to the hair have been proposed. For example, a dryer in which a steam atomizer is installed in the controlling portion is disclosed in Japan Published Examined Utility Model Application No. 52-25335. A dryer in which the steam atomizer and the controlling portion are separately formed is disclosed in Japan Published Examined Utility Model Application No. 54-43907. Moreover, a dryer which is provided with a pot-type hard hood is disclosed in Published Examined Utility Model Application No. 53-37806.
In the above-mentioned prior references, since hot steam is atomized to the cuticle of the hair, hairdressing to straighten out kinky hair and curl hair during applying a permanent can be facilitated. Moreover, since the steam to be sprayed includes more minute water particles in comparison with spraying water, the volume of the moisture content to be permeated into the hair is increased. As a result, the moisture content (the ideal volume of the moisture contained in the hair is approximately 10% in relation to the weight of the hair) to be lost due to hot air drying can be effectively supplemented to protect the hair from damage and to keep the gloss of the hair.
On the other hand, the steam particles having an average diameter of approximately 30 to 50 .mu.m are a few .mu.m larger than those considered to be ideal to permeate into the hair. Therefore, the permeation of the moisture into the hair is insufficient even if steam is sprayed. Namely, the aforementioned ideal value of the hair moisture has not been attained yet.
Moreover, the temperature of the spraying steam is so high that there is a possibility of being scalded due to spraying of hot steam onto the face, dropping of hot water drops collected at the atomizer end portion, and long time spraying of steam. Especially, in case of a dryer in which the steam atomizer is installed in its controlling portion, it is apprehended that hot water may flow out. On the other hand, in a dryer which is provided with a pot type hard hood, a steam blow-out hole is installed in the hard hood in order to prevent the user from getting scalded. This type, however, is still insufficient to prevent the occurrence of scald. If the head of the user touched at the hood, there is still a possibility of getting scalded.
Furthermore, the prior art dryers include another problem. If the temperature of the steam is decreased, the steam particles become water drops. It is, therefore, necessary to keep the temperature of the steam near 100 .degree. C. even in the case when such a high temperature steam is not necessary. The high temperature may result in deteriorating the elasticity of the hair more than expected.
A mist atomizer for generating water particles (hereinafter referred to as "mist") by means of the ultrasonic vibration based on an electricity-mechanical power conversion element such as a piezoelectric vibration element to atomize the mist into a predetermined space is disclosed in Published Examined Patent Application No. 61-35912 and Published Examined Patent Application No. 61-25427.
According to this prior art mist atomizer, the mist having a minute particle diameter is effectively sprayed into the air, so that the favorable humidification by the floating mist and the improvement of burning efficiency can be realized.
The mist sprayed from the mist atomizer has no possibility of scald, and the particle is more minute than that of the steam. The diameter of the mist particle, however, has not been unified into the size that is appropriate for permeating into the hair or that allows the floating of the mist particles in the air for a long time. Accordingly, even if the mist atomizer is used during drying the hair by hot air, the hair moisture content can not be sufficiently supplemented. In detail, the mist particles of large diameter contained in the spraying mist will collide with the cuticle of the hair, and easily become water drops. As a result, other mist particles in a small diameter will cause a chain reaction to be merged into the water drops composed of the large-diameter particles. When the mist is changed into the water drops on the hair cuticle, the water drops are collected on the hair cuticle due to the act of surface tension. Those collected water drops steam away due to the hot air, so that the volume of the moisture to permeate into the hair becomes small. Moreover, to prevent the steam from changing into the water drops by decreasing the temperature of the steam, the temperature of the steam shall be kept at approximately 100.degree. C. even in the case that such a hot mist is not required. As a result, the elasticity of the hair is deteriorated more than expected.
The mist sprayed from the mist atomizer can be quickly obtained in comparison with steam. Since the particle diameter is minute, it is appropriate to supplement the hair moisture content. On the other hand, since the temperature of the mist to be sprayed is as low as that of water, it may decrease the temperature of the hot air of the hair dryer or the room temperature increased by a heater, etc. though there is no possibility of being scalded. Moreover, when it is used for the spraying of fuel, it takes a relatively long time to catch fire.
Even if a certain heating unit which is installed in a hot air dryer such as a hand dryer is provided to the route of the mist in the above-mentioned mist atomizer, it is hard to increase the temperature of the mist up to a desired temperature because the specific heat of the mist is higher than that of the air.
One object of the present invention is to provide an atomizer for hair dressing to be used for applying moisture to the hair to facilitate the hair dressing operation, in that the moisture is permeated into the hair to supplement the loss of the hair moisture content to keep it at the ideal value and thus to protect the hair from damages while drying the hair, and moreover the water particle controlled at the ideal temperature can be sprayed without fear of scald.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an atomizer which enables the spraying of liquid particles whose diameter is unified into a minute size less than a few .mu.m.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an atomizer in which the temperature of the liquid particles having a micro-size diameter can be increased up to a desired temperature without fear of being scalded, and moreover the liquid particles kept at the desired temperature can be sprayed.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an atomizer for hair dressing which provides a variety of usages such as perming, coloring, treatment and nourishment of the hair, facial steaming, etc.